Georgia Squirrel Season opens Aug. 15

Squirrel hunting season opens August 15.

According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, squirrel hunting season is a great opportunity for new hunters to practice newly-acquired skills. 

Diana McGrath, Wildlife Biologist with the WRD Game Management Section, stated, “When you are squirrel hunting, it isn’t necessary to be absolutely still or quiet, making it an ideal first hunt opportunity for young or new hunters. Squirrels are typically easy-to-find but still provide enough challenge to make the hunt exciting, and the day is made even better when you take that harvest home and cook up a delicious dinner.”  

If you need to take a beginner’s course on how to get started, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/LearnToHuntFish.  

According to WRD data, squirrels are a healthy, sustainable source of protein.

Squirrel season begins August 15, 2023, and lasts through February 29, 2024, and hunters can pursue both gray and fox squirrels. The maximum daily bag limit is 12 per hunter. 

Some of the state Wildlife Management Areas have a limit on the harvest of fox squirrels. 

For more information on the 2023-2024 squirrel hunting season, or other hunting seasons, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/hunting/hunter-resources. To renew or purchase a hunting license, visit GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com.

Georgia’s WMAs offer access to nearly one million acres of hunting opportunity, and squirrel hunting is allowed on WMAs at specified times during the statewide squirrel season (GeorgiaWildlife.com/allwmas). 

Hunters are advised to check the current hunting regulations for specific WMA dates and info (eregulations.com/georgia/hunting/).  

Both gray and fox squirrels can be found throughout Georgia. 

The gray squirrel, abundant in both rural and urban areas, is most common. Though mostly associated with hardwood forests, grays also can be found in mixed pine/hardwood forests.  Predominantly gray, with white under parts, gray squirrels appear more slender-bodied than fox squirrels, weighing anywhere from 12 ounces to 1.5 pounds. 

Fox squirrels have several color phases, varying from silver-gray with a predominantly black head, to solid black, to a light buff or brown color tinged with reddish-yellow. Generally larger than grays, fox squirrels range in weight from one pound to nearly three, and are more closely associated with mature pine and mixed pine/hardwood habitats, and especially in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions.  

Finding squirrels is typically easy as they occur on nearly every WMA and hunting lease in the state, and that is great news for meat lovers, as the meat is high in iron and B Vitamins. Culinary inspiration for harvested squirrels can be found at GeorgiaWildlife.blog/2018/08/26/5-squirrel-recipes-youll-ever-taste/.